President Obama: Take Further Action on Immigration Now.

There are changes to the immigration system that cannot wait for the presidential elections.

Top Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has already outlined some of her concerns with current immigration enforcement practices, particularly in her roundtable discussion with undocumented students at Rancho High School. But the families being torn apart by deportation and the many people waiting in immigration detention cannot, and should not, have to wait for Presidential elections for these reforms to be prioritized and enacted.

President Obama could make the changes to the immigration enforcement system outlined by Clinton, now.

If Clinton and the Democratic Party believe in these changes as more than talking points, they should move for President Obama to enact them immediately with the urging and vocal support of his party.

Add your organization to the list of signers asking President Obama to enact the changes, six of which are outlined below.

1. End detention of transgender immigrants, women, children and other vulnerable populations:

During the roundtable discussion Hillary Clinton said that she was “very worried about detention facilities for people who are vulnerable and for children” and called for the use of discretion, like the President’s executive orders, to change the detention process.

As Clinton asserts, conditions in detention facilities are deplorable. Detainees lack access to medical care, protection from violence and legal counsel. Vulnerable populations such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and especially transgender immigrants, face especially horrific and dehumanizing conditions, including frequent violence and harassment from guards, deprivation of necessary medical care, psychological torture through solitary confinement, and all too often rape.

Particularly for LGBTQ people with criminal histories, ICE should start with a presumption of hardship for people with community and family ties. The agency can then consider all other factors and circumstances that lead to the agency’s designated enforcement practices, but the burden should be on ICE to overcome the presumption of the tremendous hardship caused by the detention of LGBTQ immigrants.

President Obama must direct DHS to use discretion to release from custody of particularly vulnerable populations, including people who are pregnant, transgender, living with HIV/AIDS, and/or with disabilities.

2. Expand deferred action to the most people possible under the law:

Clinton told undocumented youth that she would go “even further” than President Obama on deferred action, and would like to have “a simple, straightforward and accessible way for parents of DREAMers and others with a history of service and contribution to their communities to make their case.”

Although the White House has argued otherwise, legal experts around the country agree that the President has the authority to expand the group of people who qualify for deferred action, including to people who are parents of deferred action recipients and the other 7 million undocumented immigrants who were left out of President Obama’s executive actions.

“A lot of detention facilities for immigrants are run by private detention facilities, and they have a legal incentive to fill them up. There is actually a legal requirement that so many beds are filled. So people go out and round up people in order to get paid on a per-day basis. That makes no sense to me. That is not the way we should be running any detention facility,” explained Clinton.

The reality is that currently private companies operate 50% of immigration detention beds. Private companies own a stark 100 percent of beds for immigrants serving time for drug offence s or unlawful re-entry. Until private contractors are banned, the President could ensure that private prisons be made subject to the same FOIA laws as public actors, and contracts with private prisons could be required have strict accountability and oversight mechanisms, with contract termination established as a clear consequence of violation.

4. Streamline the legal immigration system and provide relief from the visa backlog.

Currently, 4.4 million people have filed immigration applications but still wait, often times for decades to be reunited with family in the United States. Many of these same people are subject to detention and deportation for overstaying their visas in the United States, and many U.S. citizens remain separated from their loved ones. The backlog particularly impacts Asian Americans with 35% of those in the backlog from Asian countries.

As part of the Visa Modernization Taskforce established by the executive actions on November 20, 2014, many organizations have called on the President to make much needed reforms to the legal immigration system. The President should heed these calls and act to streamline the legal immigration system by protecting from deportation anyone with an approved family or employment visa petition; count derivatives as part of the same family unit for purposes of immigration visas; recapture unused visas and reapply them to those seeking to immigrate; and use parole as a mechanism to reunite families who continue to wait in the growing visa backlog.

5. Immigrant workers who denounce labor rights abuses could be protected by federal agencies and be given deferred action:

The undocumented students who shared their recommendations and stories with Clinton spoke about being paid less than minimum wage, working in less than adequate conditions and being scared of their employers. Clinton responded that that the best way to assure that immigrant workers are not taken advantage of is to pass immigration reform, “The quicker we can legalize the people who are here, the better the job market will be for everyone. Because you won’t have a group of people who are taken advantage of” by being “paid so much less and treated so much worse, “ as Clinton explained. But there are things that President Obama could do now to improve the working conditions of undocumented workers, and allow them to become advocates on behalf of working people when there are labor abuses taking place.

President Obama could prohibit unscrupulous employers and other bad actors from using immigration status as a weapon against organizing and whistle-­‐blowing immigrants who push back on inhumane hours, dangerous conditions, and withholding of pay (among other violations). Federal agencies could adopt formal non-­‐retaliation policies prohibiting agents from targeting defenders of civil, labor, and human rights for arrest, detention, or deportation. These non-­‐retaliation policies should include a blanket prohibition of immigration enforcement activities during a labor dispute, an organizing drive and/or as a result of either. The President could also give deferred action to individuals without lawful status who come forward to file civil, labor, or human rights complaints; individuals who are detained by immigration authorities during a labor strike; and individuals involved in a pending matter before a federal agency in which they are participating/providing evidence. Finally, all agencies that enforce civil, labor, and human rights should be recognized as having authority to certify U-­‐Nonimmigrant Status.

6. Separate the criminal law enforcement from immigration by ending all collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and ICE, and end programs that criminalize undocumented migration.

Although there was little crossover between the round table discussion on immigration and Clinton’s recent Columbia University speech on reforms to the criminal justice system, there are important connections between them. During her speech, she explains that “It’s time to change our approach. It’s time to end the era of mass incarceration. We need a true national debate about how to reduce our prison population while keeping our communities safe.”

Current immigration enforcement practices equate deportation and detention of immigrants with criminal histories with community safety. Especially after the November 20th announcement on changes to the priorities as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, families are being torn apart when their loved ones are taken into custody – regardless of whether this takes away a breadwinner from the family, of how long ago the conviction took place, whether the person has lived most of their life in the U.S., or the type of restitution that the person has made to society after their conviction. Although Clinton is not specifically referring to immigrants, she gets it right when she says that “keeping them behind bars does little to reduce crime. But it does a lot to tear apart families and communities.”

The President has the power to make changes to how the immigration system criminalizes immigrant families and communities. Right now, he could direct the DHS to review its guidelines and priorities, particularly when it comes to people with criminal convictions. As with LGBT immigrants and other vulnerable populations, ICE should start with a presumption of hardship for people with community and family ties. The burden should be on ICE to prove need for deportation and detention.

In addition, the executive branch has created programs that criminalize immigration and allow local police to act as immigration agents. Operation Streamline, for example, mandates the criminal prosecution of nearly every individual detained for unlawfully crossing the southern United States border. The program is one of the main reasons that immigration-­‐related crimes now make up 40% of federal criminal prosecutions. Operation Streamline, like other ICE-access programs, was created by the Executive branch, not by Congress. Just as the Executive branch created the program, it can end it. President Obama has the constitutional authority not only to decline to prosecute, but to pardon any and all violations of criminal immigration laws—in advance or after the fact, for any reason or no reason at all, on an individual or a categorical basis. In the face of this broad authority, there can be no question that the President could end Operation Streamline immediately and the criminal prosecution of people for immigration-related violations.

Lastly, the President could end all collaboration between local police enforcement and immigration enforcement. Even after the end of the Secure Communities program, the Priority Enforcement Program continues to seek collaboration with local governments to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. Ending collaboration between police and ICE is an important step that opens the door for trust between communities and police.

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List of Signers as of May 18, 2015 (9:30 Eastern)

ORGANIZATION

NAME

2

18MillionRising.org

Cayden Mak

3

Actors Equity-AFL-CIO

Alfred Cross

4

Advancing Justice – AAJC

Prerna Lal

5

Advocacy for Justice and Peace Committee of the Sisters of St. F

Sr. Frances Murray

6

Alianzas Latino Outreach

Nina Guzman

7

Allies for Knoxville\\\’s Immigrant Neighbors

M reeves

8

Alvernia University Mission Office

Judith Bohler

9

America\’s Voice

Lynn Tramonte

10

Amistad ~ ¡por la Paz!

Kathryn Albrecht

11

API Equality-LA

Eileen Ma

12

APSA Executive Board

Kasuni Bodinayake

13

Arkansas Coalition for DREAM

Rosa Velazquez

14

Arkansas Interfaith Alliance

Stephen Copley

15

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA

Anthony Ng

16

Asian Pacific Student Association @ UCI

Amy Yu

17

ASPIRE-LA

anthony ng

18

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

Namita Chad

19

Atlanta Jobs with Justice

Neil Sardana

20

Atlanta Jobs with Justice Organizing Committee

Katherine Acker

21

BASF

Jc Sarmiento

22

Bay Area Guatemala Action (BAGUA)

Edgar Ayala

23

Beacon Unitarian-Universalist Cong.

Anne Cotten

24

Birmingham High School

Iris Edinger

25

Black alliance for just immigration

Opal Tometi

26

Black Lives Matter

Patrisse Cullors

27

BSHC

Martha Perez

28

California Immigrant Policy Center

Jon Rodney

29

California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance

Luis Ojeda

30

Call to Action/Rio Grande Valley Texas

David Jackson

31

Casa Freehold

Marguerita Dentino

32

Casa San Jose

Monica Ruiz

33

Central Ohio Worker Center

Ruben Castilla Herrera

34

Channing Memorial Church

joanne armenia

35

Chicago Community and Workers Rights

Martin Unzueta

36

Chicago Jobs with Justice

Susan Hurley

37

Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)

Lissette Castillo

38

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Grace Lee

39

Church and Society Network, The United Methodist Church

Mary Ann Dimand

40

Church of Our Saviour/La Iglesia de Nuestro Salvador

Paula Jackson

41

Church World Service

Erol Kekic

42

Cleveland Jobs with Justice

Deb Kline

43

Climate Jobs Portland (OR)

Dave & Laurie King

44

Columbine Unitarian Church

Maureen Flanigan

45

Comite de Derechos Humanos de Forks/ Forks Human Rights Group

Lesley Hoare

46

Community Services Unlimited Inc

Neelam Sharma

47

Congress of Day Laborers

Fernando Lopez

48

CTA/NEA

William Briggs

49

D.C. Center for Immigrant Justice

Lindsay Schubiner

50

Dare to Dream: Get Educated! Conference for Latina Teens

Cynthia Brito

51

Detention Watch Network

Silky Shah

52

Dignity and power now

Carla Gonzalez

53

Dominican Sisters

Mary Carr

54

DREAMers of Virginia

Jose Caceres

1

DRM – Dream Action Coalition

Erika Andiola

55

DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving

Fahd Ahmed

56

East Bay Immigrant Youth Coalition

Itzel Calvo

57

East Shore Unitarian Church

Marilyn Mayers

58

Editide

Sue and John Morris

59

El Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas

Jessica Culley

60

El/La Para TransLatinas

Isa Noyola

61

Empowered Connections LLC

Deb Duley

62

Enlace

Daniel Carrillo

63

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

David Atwood

64

Everglades Earth First!

Niko Segal-Wright

65

Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement

Jorge Gutierrez

66

Farmworker Association of Florida

Antonio Tovar

67

Fearless Undocumented Alliance

natalie cruz

68

First Congregational Church of Palo Alto

Eileen Altman

69

First Friends

sue Kenney

70

First Nation Ministry

Anthony Commarata

71

Florida Immigrant Coalition

Katherine Gorell

72

Food Chain Workers Alliance

Joann Lo

73

Fresno Immigrant Youth in Action

Brisa Cruz

74

Fullerton Dream Team

Faby Jacome

75

Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights

Adelina Nicholls

76

Got Green

Jill Mangaliman

77

Grace United Methodist Church

Karen Baker

78

Grupo de Apoyo e Integracion Hispanoamericano

Erika Sutherland

79

HEAL-ONLINE.ORG

Angela Smith

80

Healing Justice Ministries, Parker Lane UMC, Austin TX

Bill Carter

81

Homestead Equal rights for all

Michael Sanchez

82

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Fred Tsao

83

Illinois Dream Fund

Tanya Cabrera

84

Immigrant Youth Coalition

Marcela Hernandez

85

Immigration Action Group

Yadira Diaz

86

Immigration Task Force of the California Nevada Annual Conferenc

Linda Kuruhara

87

Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition

Maria Rodriguez

88

jackson county, oregon democrats

Ralph Browning

89

Jobs With Justice

Natalie Patrick-Knox

90

Juntos

Erika Almiron

91

Justice for Our Neighbors Southeastern Michigan

Victoria Booker

92

Keystone Progress

Michael Morrill

93

Laguna Immigrants

Keith Johnson

94

Latin American Coalition

Ana Suarez

95

Latin@ Youth Action League

Jocelyn Munguia

96

Latino Advocacy

Maru Mora Villalpando

97

LGBT Straight Alliance

Alexander Start

98

Long Island Jobs with Justice

victoria daza

99

Los Angeles Brown Berets / youth justice coalition

Juan Pena

100

LTSC Community Development Corporation

Laura Blosser

101

Lucha Pro Licencias PA:HB1648

Maria Serna

102

Madre Tierra Collective

Lissette Miller

103

make the road ny

Maria Reinoso

104

Mass Jobs with Justice

Melonie Griffiths

105

Migrant Power Movement

Erika Nunez

106

Ministerios Nuevo Amanecer

Eldaah Arango

107

Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates

Vanessa Crawford Aragon

108

Moveon.org

Kathy Rouson

109

Napa Valley Dream Team

Alex Hoyt

110

National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)

SG Sarmiento

111

National Domestic Worker Alliance

B Loewe

112

National Justice for Our Neighbors

Rob Rutland-Brown

113

National Latino Progressive Voter Party

Mrs Eusebia Luna Aquino-Hughes

114

National People\’s Actoin

Liz Ryan Murray

115

Neighbors for Immigration Reform

Jeffrey Richardson

116

new mexico faith coalition for immigrnat justice

Renny Golden

117

New sanctuary coalition

Catherine Stetts

118

New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia

Nicole Kligerman

119

Nicaragua Center for Community Action

DIANA BOHN

120

NJ State Industrial Union Council

Carol Gay

121

Nuestro Centro

Jackie Fitzgerald

122

NY State Council of Churches

Brooke Newell

123

opportunity enterprises

karen stickney

124

Orange County Immigrant Youth United

Hairo Cortes

125

Organized Communities Against Deportations

Reyna Wences

126

P.A.S.O.- West Suburban Action Project

Yesenia Sanchez

127

Peace Church Seattle – United Methodist

Lorellen Nausner

128

Pennsylvania Council of Churches

Sandra Strauss

129

Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition

Natasha Kelemen

130

Philadelphia JACL

Hiro Nishikawa

131

PODER

Jeanette Martin

132

PPOFT

Flora Csontos

133

Pre-Health Dreamers

Denisse Rojas

134

Presente.org

Mariana Ruiz

135

President, Wilco Justice Alliane, Williamson County, TX

Jane Leatherman Van Praag

136

private citizen

Meryle A. Korn

137

Private citizen and voter

Camilla Cracchiolo

138

Progressive Democrats of America – Arizona

Dan O\’Neal

139

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

Laura Martin

140

Public Counsel

David Sena

141

Puente

Francisca Porchas

142

RAIZ

Alexis Nava Teodoro

143

Responsible Endowments Coalition

Ian Trupin

144

RPM

L R

145

Sacramento Immigration Alliance

Jennifer Morales

146

San Diego Dream Team

Gina Diaz

147

San Fernando Valley Dream Team

Christian Alvarez

148

San Joaquin Immigrant Youth Collective

Michelle Fajardo

149

Santa Ana Boys and Men of Color

Abraham Medina

150

School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic Midwest Province

Sister Lupita Cordero

151

SIM

Vinicius Quirino

152

Sisters of Providence

Clare Lentz

153

Sisters of St. Joseph

Sister Anna Marie Broxterman

154

Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O\’Fallon, MO

Sister Carol Boschert

155

SOAR + AARA

E C YARTER

156

SONG

Paulina Helm-Hernandez

157

south bronx community congress

ed figueroa

158

Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project (SSIP)

Jose Eduardo Vera

159

St Joseph Valley Project Jobs with Justice

Joseph Carbone

160

St Leonard Parish

Jose Cisneros

161

St. Vincent de Paul Society

Joyce Lewis

162

Standing on the Side of Love

Usandra Cawthern

163

Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

Stephanie Teatro

164

Thai Community Development Center

Chanchanit Martorell

165

The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

Azadeh Zohrabi

166

The Gran Varones

Louie Ortiz

167

The Resurrection Project

Erendira Rendon

168

Transgender Law Center

Kris Hayashi

169

Trinity/Las Americs United Methodist Church, DSM IA

Alejandro Alfaro-Santiz

170

Tucson Bus Riders\’ Union

Maria Cadaxa

171

Tucson Samaritans

Carol Schurr

172

Tucson Samaritans

Maria Ochoa

173

UIUC

Joanna Perez

174

Undocumented Students and Allies at IIT

Egle Malinauskaite

175

Unidad Latina en Accion NJ

Jorge Torres

176

Union Civica Primero de Mayo

Alma Lopez

177

Unitarian Universalist Association

Nora Rasman

178

Unitarian Universalist Pennsylvania Legislative Advocacy Network

Anita Mentzer

179

United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

Bill Mefford

180

University of Massachusetts

Michael Wolff

181

University of Washington

Ariana Flores

182

UnLocal, Inc.

Michele Lampach

183

USN

Gerardo Ceballos

184

UU Community of Frankfort

Ruby Layson

185

Voces de la Frontera

Christine Neumann-Ortiz

186

Waco immigration alliance

Nick Haynes

187

Washington Park United Church of Christ

Alice Silver

188

We Are San Juan

Karen Huerta

189

We Belong Together

Anna Duncan

190

WeCount!

Jonathan Fried

191

Western Governor\’s University

Karen Thomas

192

Womens International League for Peace and Freedom

Vivian Schatz

193

Yakima County Dream Team

Elizabeth Lara

194

Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network

Walter Sherwood

195

Youth Against Rape Culture

Abby Hylton

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As the immigration debate continues, #Not1More enters the discussion from the place that touches people in concrete ways and can offer tangible relief. By collectively challenging unfair deportations and unjust policy through organizing, art, legislation, and action, we aim to reverse criminalization, build migrant power, and create immigration policies based on principles of inclusion.Read More »